Gun.



J. PATTEN.

. GUN. APPL ICATION Fl LED DEC-26 I912. I 1,2@7,995. Patented Dec. 12,1916. I 1

4 SHEETS-SHEET J. PATTEN.

I GUN. APPLICATION FILED DEC-26. 1912.

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w mm mm 7 Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

4 sutsrs-snsn 4.

is rotated UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN PATTEN, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR 0F SEVENTY-FIVE ONE- HUNDREDTI-IS TO 0. WILBUR MILLER AND ERNEST B. MILLER.

GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 26, 1912. Serial No. 738,779.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN PATTEN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improve-.

ments in Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to guns oflarge caliber and more particularly to smooth bore guns and means whereby the projectile is rotated in the gun before the main powder charge is fired.

In order to maintain accuracy in firing it isnecessary that a projectile should rotate rapidly upon its longitudinal axis, and to produce such rotation it has been customary to provide the interior walls of the guns with spiral grooves or rifiing, and to provide the projectile with bands of copper or other soft metal adapted to engage the rifiing in the gun and impart rotation to the projectile as it passes through the barrel. This means of rotating the projectile is open to several serious objections. In the first place, a considerable proportion of the energy of the powder gases is expended in imparting rotation to the projectile and the velocity of the projectile and its range are correspond ingly reduced. Of the energy so expended less than one per cent. of the total energy of the powder gases appears as the'kinetic energy of rotation of the projectile, whereas several per cent. is lost as friction between the projectile and the rifling of the gun and heats the gun. A more serious objection is that the friction between the projectile and the gun which is necessary to produce the rotation of the former very rapidly wears out the rifling and renders the gun unfit for use. It is well known that rifled high power guns of large caliber can be relied upon to fire from one hundred to two hundred and fifty times, after which they are useless, (see article on page all Sc entific American of May 18, 1912.)

According to the present invention I dispense with the rifiing and provide the gun with a smooth cylindrical bore. The projectile accurately fits the bore of the gun and in the gun, before the main powder charge is fired, by means independent of the powder charge. I' provide the projectile itseff with a series of turbine buckets or blades, which are arranged circumferentially thereof, and have ports or nozzles extending through the walls of the gun and adapted to discharge fluid against the buckets for the purpose of rotating the projectile.

By providing a smooth bore gun and having means independent of the main powder charge for rotating the projectile before the main powder charge is exploded, the loss of energy due to friction of the projectile on the rifiing is eliminated and as Patented Dec. 12, 1916. C

this loss is usually several per cent. of the total energy of the powder gases, by the elimination of this loss an additional amount of energy is available for givingthe projectile higher velocity. In the case of rifled guns the velocity of the projectile is limited by this friction, and it has been found that when velocities much in excess of from 2,000 to 2,200 feet per second are employed, the friction between the projectile and the rifling either destroys. the rotating rings on the projectile or so rapidly deteriorates the rifling that the life of the gun is greatly shortened. In modern gun designing therefore, a. compromise is struck between the velocity of the projectile and the life of the gun so that the velocity is sufliciently high to do execution without having such excessive wear on the rifiing that the gun would not be able to endure many shots. In the smooth bore gun which I employ I not only utilize the energy which has been heretofore lost on the rifiing of the gun to give the projectile higher velocity, but it is possible to increase the powder charge and thereby increase the velocity of the projectile so much as is desired within the limits of strength of the a The fluid for rotating the projectile may be stored under high pressure in a suitable reservoir which is connected with the nozzle.

or nozzles by means of a conduit provided with suitable controlling devices, or an auX- iliary powder charge may be exploded for embodiments of my invention are illustrated in the. accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through a portion of a gun barrel, a portion of the figure being on the line 11 of Fig.

2; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig.

tary view similar to Fig. 4 and showing another means for holding the projectile in position.

' Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, 10 indicates the gun barrel which is provided with a smooth bore 11 and the usual mushroom 12. A sleeve 13 is fitted in the gun immediately forward of the powder chamber 14 and is secured in position by any suitable means.

such as the tapered pin 15 and the key 16. This sleeve is made preferably of a very hard material such as a grade of tempering steel and is ground accurately to size. The sleeve being surrounded by the usual hoops of softer and tougher material will be amply reinforced and will not materially weaken the gun. On account of the hardness of the sleeve it will withstand the usual wear to which the gun is subjected by the projectile, indefinitely and thus assist in prolonging the life of the gun.

lVhen the gun is loaded the projectile 17 is placed in the sleeve 13 which is provided with ports'or nozzles 18 adapted to direct a fluid from the annular chamber 19 against the buckets 20 which are provided on the projectile preferably at the base of the conical forward end of the same. The buckets 20 may be formed in any preferred manner such as by milling recesses 21 into the surface of the projectile. From Fig. 1 it will be observed that the recesses 21 are so formed that they are adapted to discharge the fluid from the buckets into the bore of the gun ahead of the projectile so that this fluid will act as a cleaning agent for the bore of the gun before the projectile is discharged from the gun.

As is the custom in guns now in use the powder charge is arranged in the chamber 14 between the projectile and the mushroom 12 and in order to prevent the charge from being prematurely fired by the friction of the rotating projectile I have provided the latter with a disk 22 which is rotatably mounted on a pin 23 at the rear of the projectile, the head of the pin 23 being protected by a plate 24 which is secured to the disk 22 by means of screws 25. The disk 22 is preferably of a soft material such as brass and is provided with a. radially extending rear face of the disk 22 when in one charge when the gun is elevated I have provided the cams 28 which, as shown in Fig. 3, are adapted to engage the rear face of the disk 22. These cams are so formed that they have a portion adapted to engage the position and when rotated substantially half a revolution to the position of the upper cam" in Fig. 3 they are outof engagement with the disk 22 and permit the projectile to be inserted or removed. In order to actuate the cams 28 they are mounted on the ends of shafts 29 which are journaled in the gun barrel and are provided on the exterior thereof with handles 30. Leakage of the powder gases along the shafts 29 may be prevented by means of the usual gas check 31.

In operating the gun it is essential that the projectile be accelerated from a state of rest to the desired speed of rotation within a fraction of a secondand therefore in order to accomplish this result in the case of projectiles for large guns the actuating fluid must be discharged against the buckets at an extremely high velocity and this velocity must be produced by a high pressure.

In the form of invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3 I propose to use compressed air under a pressure of several thousand pounds per square inch 'and supply this pressure through a pipe or conduit 32. For the purpose of controlling the pressure in the pipe 32 I have secured on the barrel of the gun a ring shaped member 33 having a port 34 with which the pipe 32 is connected, a port 35 arranged at an angle to the port 34, and a port 36 arranged substantially at right angles to the port 35. These ports are preferably formed by drilling the member 33 and then closing the outer ends of the ports by means of suitable plugs 37, 38 and 39. The port 35 has a counter-bore 40 in which is arranged a valve 41, which is adapted to cooperate with the seat 42 to close communication between the port 34 and the portion of the port 35 to the right of this seat. The valve 41 has its seat engaging portion smaller in diameter than the counter-bore 40 to provide an annular area 43 which is subjected at all times to the pressure in the port 34. The valve 41 is also provided with a recess 44 for a spring 45 the outer end of which is arranged in a recess 46 in the plug 37. The spring 45 normally tends to hold the valve 41 against the seat 42 but the normal pressure on the annular area 43 is much greater than the cess 46 in the plug 37. In order to con-- trol the pressure in the outer surface of the valve 41 I have provided a plug Valve 49, between theports, and a port 50 in line with the port 47. The valve 49 is provided with the usual port 51 by means of which the port 48 may be placed in communication either with the port 47 or the port 50. As shown in Fig. 1 the port 51 in the valve 49 establishes communication between the ports 48 and 50, and therefore permits the pressure on the outer side of the valve 41 to escape and thereby cause the pressure on the annular area 43 to open the valve 41. If the valve 49 is turned to a position where the port 51 establishes communication between the ports 47 and 48 the outer side of the valve 41 will be subjected to the pressure in the port 34 and will therefore be closed and held closed. The port 35 is also provided with a counter-bore 52 in which is arranged a valve 53 which is adapted to coiiperate with the seat 54 to prevent gases from flowing from the port 36 into the port 35. The valve 53 is normally held against the seat 54 by mea-nsof a spring 55.

The valves 41 and 53 are normally closed and when the projectile is in position as shown in Fig. 1 and it is desired to rotate the same, preparatory to-firing, the valve 49 is turned to the position shown in Fig. 1 to exhaust the pressure from the outer side of the Valve .41 and cause this valve to be opened by the pressure on the area 43. The actuating fluid, under high pressure, then flows from the pipe 32 through the port 35 against the valve 53 which is opened, to the position shown in Fig. 1, and permits the fluid to flow through the port 36 into the annular chamber 19 and from the latter through the nozzles 18 and against the buckets 20. When the projectile has attained the proper speed of rotation the main powder charge is fired and after the projectile has left the gun the valve 51 may be shifted to the position to close valve 41. As the projectile moves out of the gun the nozzles 18 are uncovered and the powder gases escape through the nozzles into the annular chamber 19 and in order -to prevent a serious loss of energy of the powder gases and also prevent the gases from flowing back into the pipe 32, I have provided the valve 53 which will be instantly closed by the spring 55 when the pressures on the opposite sides thereof are equalized, and the excess by pressure due to the powder gases will tend to hold this valve firmly agalnst its seat.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a gun embodying another form of fluid supply means. In this figure the gun is illustrated in more or less conventional form, the bar? rel lObeing mounted in the usual sleeve or cradle 56 which is mounted on a horizontal pivot 57 and adapted to be rocked thereon by means of the worm 58 and the cotiperating teeth 59 on the cradle. The worm 58 is mounted on a shaft 60 which may be rotated by means of a hand-wheel 61. The pivot 57 and the shaft 60 are mounted in suitable bearings which are supported'on a table 62 having at its periphery the teeth 63 which are engaged by a worm 64 for the purpose of rotating the table and the gun on a vertical axis. The worm 64 is arranged on a shaft 65 which is rotated by means of a hand-wheel 66. The shaft 65 and the table 62 are suitably supported on a base 67.

For the purpose of taking up the recoil of the gun the cradle is provided with a chamber 68 in which slides a piston 69, this piston being connected with the gun by means of a rod 70 and the bracket 71, the latter being secured to the breech of the gun. A spring 72 is arranged between the piston 69 and the rear wall 73 of the chamber 68 and as will be readily understood takes up the recoil of the gun, although the spring may be assisted in this by the compression of the air in the chamber 68 as the piston 69 moves rearwardly.

Instead of supplying the actuating fluid directly to the turbine wheel by means of a large pipe \32 as shown in Fig. 1, I have provided in the modification shown in Fig. 5 a reservoir 74, one end of which is provided with a port 75 and is screwed into the extension 76 on the member 33. The forward end of the reservoir 74 is provided with an extension 77 which is secured in a bracket 78 on the gun barrel in any suitable manner. A jacket 79 surrounds the reservoir 74, whereby an annular chamber 80 is provided around the reservoir, and a heating medium for the reservoir 74 and its contents may be circulated through the space '80 from a suitable supply by the pipes 81 and82. The port 75 communicates directly with the ort 34 so that the interior of the reservoir 4 is always in open cmmunica tion with the port 34 and when the valve 41 is opened the pressure fluid which is stored in the reservoir 74 is utilized for rotating the projectile. pressure of the fluid for rotating the projectile will ordinarily be several thousand pounds per square inch and in order to pro As hereinbefore stated the vide a flexible supply conduit which may be conveniently handled and which is adapted to withstand this high pressure, it is necessary to have the bore of this conduit comparatively small. A conduit of this type is shown at 83 and is in open engagement with the port 34. The rate of flow through a con duit of small internal diameter, such as the conduit 83, is comparatively small so that such a conduit would under ordinary circumstances not be adapted to supply fluid fast enough to give the necessary speed of rotation to a large projectile, but by having an auxiliary reservoir such as the reservoir 74 charged by means of a small conduit it is feasible to utilize the small conduit without decreasing the effectiveness of the operation of the apparatus, since there will ordinarily be plenty of time in which the reservoir may be filled after the gun is fired. The heating of the fluid in the reservoir 74 greatly increases its energy and therefore renders the fluid much more effective.

In some instances it may be desirable to use carbon dioxid as the motive fluid for rotating the projectile and under the pressures which will ordinarily be used the carbon dioxid would be in liquid form and a very large quantity of the gas could thus be stored in a small space. Another advantage in using carbon dioxid is that it is a very heavy gas and therefore it would be more effective in rotating the projectile than compressed air.

In modern gun practice it is customary to clean the gun, after each firing, by means of a compressed air jet, the air being introduced through the breech of the gun. In the forms of my invention described, after the projectile leaves the gun, the pressure of the powder gases is instantly reduced to practically atmospheric pressure and it will be seen that under this condition the air or carbon dioxid will continue to flow through the nozzles 18 in powerful jets which will instantly expel the products of combustion and thoroughly clean the bore of the gun, thus rendering the use of a special jet of air for cleaning the gun unnecessary and permitting the gun to be immediately reloaded. The rush of gases from the nozzles 18 and the fact that these gases, on account of their enormous expansion, from the extremely high pressure in the supply pipe or .reservoir, are reduced to a very low temperature, provides means whereby the gun is thoroughly and automatically cooled after each firing so that any delay for the purpose of permitting the gun to cool off before the next firing is unnecessary.

In Fig. 4, I have shown another form of the invention in which there is arranged on the barrel of the gun a ring 84 having oppositely arranged powder chambers 85 and 86 which are connected with the bore of the' gun, in line with the buckets of the projectile, by means of nozzles 87, these nozzles being so placed that the lateral thrust on the projectile is balanced. The powder chambers 85 and 86 are adapted to receive cartridges 88 which are held in position by breech blocks 89, the latter being operable by means of suitable handles 90 and being latched by pins 91 which are released by means of the levers 92.

The cartridges 88 are preferably of the type adapted to be discharged by means of an electric fuse 93. The fuses 93 each have one of their terminals connected with a tubular member 94, arranged in the breech block 89, by means of a conductor 95. An insulating member 96 is arranged in the tubular member 95 and carries a conductor 97 which is connected with the other terminal of the fuse. A swinging arm 98 is adapted to be detachably connected with the outer end of the tubular member 94 and is pivoted to the base member 99, having thereon a terminal 100, this base being supported on the member 84 but insulated therefrom. I The outer end of the conductor 97 is detachably connected with the swinging arm 101 which.

is pivoted to a bracket 102. One of the brackets 102 has an extension 102', supporting a'key 103, the key being insulated from the extension 102' by means of an insulating bushing 104 which surrounds the pivot pin 105.

For the purpose of exploding the cartridges 88 I have provided a source of electricity 104 which has one terminal thereof connected at 105 with the bracket 102, by means of a conductor 106. The other terminal of the source 104 is connected with the key 103' by a conductor 107. The terminals 100are ,connected together by means of a. conductor 108 and the brackets 102 are connected together by means of a conductor 109. With these connections, when the key 103 is pressed into contact with the adjacent terminal .100 a circuit is completed through the fuses 93 and in this manner the cartridges 88 are exploded simultaneously. In firing a gun of this type it is 'desirable to have'means whereby the main powder charge is exploded at the instant the projectile has attained the necessary speed of rotation and for this purpose I have provided a firing mechanism which consists of a tubular member 110 which is secured to the member 84, and the interior of which is connected with the interior of one of the nozzles 87 by means of a'port 111. A sec- 0nd tubular member 112 is secured to the outer end of the member 110 and in axial alinement therewith and is provided at its outer side with a cap or plug 113 Within the member 110 is a piston 114 having a tube 115 secured to its outer side and extending through the inner end of the member 112 and engaging a piston 116 in said member. A spring 117 is arranged between the piston 116 andthe plug 113 and normally tends to move the piston inwardly. The piston 116 is provided with an outwardly extending rod or stem 118 having a notch 119 at its. end. A spring member 120 is slidably arranged in the plug 113'and carries a contact 121. This member 120 has its outer end so arranged that it is adapted to spring into the notch 119, when the rod 118 is forced outwardly, so that when this rod is moved inwardly by the spring 117.. the member 120 is moved therewith and the contact member 121 engages the cooperating contact 122 for the purpose of closing a circuit which fires the main powder charge. This latter circuit may be supplied from a source of electricity 123 which has one terminal thereof connected with the contact 122 by means of a conductor 124, and the other terminal thereof connected with the firing device of the main powder charge by a conductor 125. The contact member 121 is connected with the firing device by a conductor 126 so that when the contact members are in engagement a circuit is closed through the firing device and the main powder charge will be exploded.

When the cartridges 88 are exploded the pressure of the gases in one of the nozzles 87 is-communicated to the piston 114 by means of the port 111 and this piston together with the piston 116, with which it is connected by means of the tube 115, is moved outwardly against the force of the spring 117. When the pressure of the gases in the nozzle 87 is relieved the spring 117 forces the pistons 114 and 116 inwardly and thus efiects an engagement of the contact members 121 and 122 in the manner above described.

In Fig. 6 I'have illustrated certain of my improvements as applied to fixed ammunition for comparatively small caliber guns in which tl-e powder charge is inclosed in a shell 127 and the projectile 128 is provided with the buckets 129 and is rotatably secured to the shell 127. The shell is provided with an end wall 129 to which is secured the disk 130 by means of screw threads 131. The disk 130 carries a pin 132 at its center on which is mounted the bearing member 133 secured in a, suitable recess at the rear of the projectile. In order to hold the pro jectile on the pin 132, a collar 134 is secured on the end of the latter. By this construction it will be seen that the projectile is free to rotate on the pin 132 and any rearward 7 thrust of the projectile is taken up by the bearing between the rear face thereof and the disk 130.

In Fig. 7, I have shown another means for holding the projectile 17 in position, this means consisting in having the periphery ing fluid pressure in any suitable manner. In the illustration I have shown the ram rod as having a screw thread connection 140 with the disk. After the projectile is positioned the ram rod may be unscrewed and removed.

The turbine buckets on the projectile constitute means for converting the energy of the motive fluid into kinetic energy of rotation of the projectile and so far as'I am aware no one has ever applied a motive medium directly to a projectile in a gun for the purpose of rotating the projectile before the main powder charge is exploded, and I therefore claim this feature of my invention, broadly.

I have disclosed in this application the principles of my invention and also what I now consider to be the best form of apparatus for carrying out these principles, but I realize that improvements can be made in the details of the apparatus shown and described herein and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the forms which I have disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a gun, a projectile having energy converting rotating means arranged directly thereon, and means for applying energy to said rotating means to rotate the projectile in the breech of the gun and before it moves longitudinally of the gun.

2. In combination, a gun, a projectile having energy converting rotating means arranged directly thereon, means for supplying energy to said rotating means to rotate the projectile in the breech of the gun, and means for controlling said energy supplying means. I

3'. In combination, a-gun, a projectile' havenergy converting rotating means thereon, a conduit in the gun for supplying fluid to said means, and means for controlling said conduit.

4. In combination, a gun, a projectile having a turbine wheel thereon, and fluid prestuating fluid to said wheel, and means for supplying the actuating fluid to said nozzles.

7. In combination, a gun, a projectile having a turbine wheel thereon, a sleeve secured in the gun and having a pluralit of nozzle ports through its walls adapted to deliver an actuating fluid to said wheel, there being an annular chamber around the sleeve from which the nozzles are supplied, and means for supplying the actuating fluid to said chamber.

8. A gun having a lining sleeve,.removable through the breech of the gun, and an annular chamber surrounding the sleeve, said sleeve being formed with nozzles extending through its wall from said chamber to the bore of the gun.

9. In a gun, the combination of a pro-' fluid to said nozzles, a spring closed valveinsaid conduit, and fluid pressure means for opening said valve.

11. In a gun, the combination of a projectile having a turbine wheel thereon, nozzles arranged in the wall of the gun and adapted to deliver a motive fluid to said turbine wheel, a supply conduit for .said nozzles, a valve for controlling the flow of notive fluid to said nozzles, and a check valve adapted to prevent the back flow o1": oowder gases through said conduit.

12. In a gun, the combination of a proectile having a turbine wheel thereon, nozzles arranged in the wall of the gun for :upplying the motive fluid to said turbine vheel, a motive fluid supply reservoir aranged adjacent the gun and connected with :aid nozzles by means of a suitable conduit, r valve in said conduit and-a supply pipe .dapted to supply motive fluid to said reser- 'OII'.

13. In a gun, the combination of a proectile having a turbine wheel thereon, nozles arranged in the wall of the gun and vdapted to deliver a motive fluid to said urbine Wheel, a motive fluid supply reser- 'oir arranged adjacent the gun and con- .ected with said nozzles by a'suitable con- .uit, a valve for controlling the flow of motive fluid from said reservoir through said conduit, a supply pipe for said reservoir, and means for heating the motive fluid contained in the reservoir.

14. In a gun, the combination of a. pro jectile having a turbine wheel thereon, a main powder charge, a nozzle for supplying motive fluid to said turbine wheel, means for discharging the main powder charge, and fluid actuated means controlled by the pressure in said nozzle for actuating said discharge means.

15. The combination of a projectile adapted to be rotated in the gun before the main powder charge is fired, a disk rotatably secured at the rearward end of the projectile, and means engaging said disk and adapted to hold the projectile in position.

16. The combination with a gun, of a projectile adapted to be rotated in the gun before the main powder charge is fired, a disk rotatably secured to the rearward end of the projectile, and means extending through the wall of the gun and engaging said disk to hold the projectile against rearward movement.

" 17. The combination with a gun of a projectile adapted to be rotated in the gun before the main powder charge is fired, a disk rotatably secured to the rearward end of the projectile, and oppositely arranged rotatable cams adapted to s engage said disk to hold the projectile against rearward movement, said cams a'l soi being adapted to rotate to a positionto-p o'rmit the projectile to be inserted and removed.

18. The combination with a gun of a projectile adapted to be rotated in the gun before the main powder charge is fired, a. disk rotatably secured to the rearward end of the projectile, and oppositely arranged rotatable cams adapted to engage said disk to hold the projectile against rearward movement, said cams also being adapted to rotate to a position to permit the projectile to be inserted and removed, and means extending through the wall of the gun for actuating said cams.

In testimony whereof I aiflx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN PATTEN.

Witnesses:

B. M. KENT, ARTHUR L. BRYANT. 

